Marvel Rivals players have both good and bad news as developer NetEase prepares the mid-season update for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. The positive side is that update 8.5 introduces substantial new content, including a brand-new character and another map. The update launches on June 12, so the wait is nearly over. However, unlike regular weekly updates, this download will require server downtime, meaning the game will be offline for a period. Players can use this time to install the update and be ready to jump back in as soon as servers are live.
Marvel Rivals 8.5 Server Maintenance Schedule
NetEase has announced the exact timing for server maintenance. For UK fans, Marvel Rivals will go offline at 10am BST on June 12. That translates to 2am PT / 5am ET for US players, and 11am CET in Europe. According to a blog post detailing the update, maintenance is expected to last approximately two hours. Therefore, players can expect to start playing again at 12pm BST UK time, or 4am PT / 7am ET in the US, and 1pm CET in Europe.
Marvel Rivals Update 8.5 New Features
Despite the inconvenience of downtime, the wealth of new content should make it worthwhile. The headline addition is Cyclops as a playable character. As expected, Cyclops can damage opponents with optic blasts from his eyes, including an explosive shot that can eliminate multiple enemies when fully charged. A new map, K'un-Lun: Shenloong Arena, is also available, supporting the 18-vs-18 Bounty Annihilation game mode. NetEase is also implementing various fixes and balance changes, along with new stories and item bundles.
All-New Content
- New Hero: Cyclops joins the Marvel Rivals roster.
- New Map: K'un-Lun: Shenloong Arena (Bounty Annihilation 18v18 mode). Note: Temporarily unavailable on Xbox Series S due to performance limitations.
- New Stories: Cyclops lore – Clear Eyes, Full Hearts; Daredevil lore – Clearing the Path; The Punisher lore – One Last Shot.
- New In Store: Magik – Soulless Sword Bundle; Cyclops – Weapon M Bundle; Phoenix – White Crown Phoenix Bundle; Cyclops – Shadowed Gaze; Magik – Soulless Sword Chroma Green Glow/Neon Nemesis and Ultimate Ability VFX; Cyclops – Weapon M Emoji Bundle; Magik – Soulless Sword Emoji Bundle; All-New Accessory: Jean Grey Plush616 Vault.
- Limited-Time Bundles: Psylocke – Breezy Butterfly Bundle; Loki – Robe of Relaxation Bundle; Invisible Woman – Azure Shade Bundle; The Punisher – Aqua Arsenal Bundle; Cloak & Dagger – Polarity Bond Bundle; Winter Soldier – Polarity Soldier Bundle.
- Limited-Time Events: Summer Special, Summer Special Vol.2, Ancient Powers Awaken, and Queen's Codex.
- New Event: Shenloong Tournament: Complete event missions to unlock the Groot – Ironwood Serpent costume for free.
- New PC Features: NVIDIA DLSS 4.5 Super Resolution with new DLSS model preset options: Performance Mode (CNN models for higher frame rates) and Quality Mode (Transformer model for improved visuals). GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs support up to 6x DLSS Multi-Frame Generation.
Fixes and Optimizations
- Black Cat: Fixed an issue where Cat's Cradle could grant multiple Fortune stacks per use; now only one stack per use.
- Devil Dinosaur: Fixed a bug where Devil Dinosaur could retain abnormally high movement speed after his Ultimate if sped up by Jeff's bubble and then swallowed by Jeff's Ultimate.
- Maps: Fixed various collision issues that could cause characters to get stuck on environmental geometry.
